Canelo Alvarez: Sergey Kovalev is the best at 175, that’s why I’m fighting him

“I’m ready. I’m ready to make history. I’m ready for this great fight with Kovalev,” Canelo Alvarez said on Wednesday at the final press conference for this Saturday night’s DAZN main event against Sergey Kovalev.

Canelo (52-1-2, 35 KO) is moving up from middleweight to light heavyweight to face Kovalev (34-3-1, 29 KO), a long-established top name in the 175-pound division. Kovalev will defend the WBO title on Saturday, as Alvarez looks to become a four-weight titleholder at age 29.

Asked why he chose to face the 36-year-old Kovalev, Alvarez said, “Because he’s the best in his division, he’s one of the best. That’s why we chose him, to make history by fighting one of the best.”

The move up in weight is one that could be a problem for Canelo. He’s dabbled over 160 before, but never as high as 175, and never against someone with the credibility of Kovalev.

“I feel comfortable, I feel good,” Canelo said of the weight jump. “We’ll see on Saturday how it all goes but I feel good.”

“Kovalev, we have great respect for him as a fighter, great respect for his trainer and respect for his camp,” said Canelo’s head trainer and manager, Eddy Reynoso. “We have trained, we have prepared, and we are ready for Saturday and to win.”

Co-trainer and manager Jose “Chepo” Reynoso added his confidence, saying, “Everything is teamwork, everybody puts in a little bit to make this happen, so thank you to everyone for this. And I want to give thanks to the great fighter Kovalev for accepting this fight. This allowed history to be made, and because of him accepting this fight, Saul will be winning his fourth division title.”